Ultimecia: A Hero Lost in Time
by Paleontole
Summary: Rinoa finds herself backed into a corner by grief, paranoia, the SeeD, and an unforgiving world, only to become the evil that she defeated so long ago. The only man that can stop this endless cycle of pain is Ultimecia's mysterious advisor.
1. Close Together

_Disclaimers/Notes:_

_Just a few comments about what I'm doing here, if you care, if not, then that's ok too. Basically, I find Ultimecia to be the most fascinating villains in any of the Final Fantasy games, and that's saying a lot. So obviously I took interest in the many opinions floating around about her existence, and how she came to be. What this story is about is pretty much a mix of the Rinoa Ultimecia theory, and the arguments that go against it, kind of a mix in some ways. Obviously they aren't fully compatible, so one takes charge over the other in various parts. Don't know what the Rinoa Ultimecia theory is? Just as it sounds, if you don't know details you can read without knowing, or you could get a heads up, I think has a good article supporting, and there is some stuff against it on GameFaqs...or just google, that usually works. I'm not saying something is right over anything else, you can decide that for yourself._

_More side notes, I haven't played the game intensely in 1-2 years, so could you find holes in what I say? I wouldn't doubt it at all. But in the end, this is just for reading entertainment on how this villain came to be, depending on your view. A way that she COULD have become if she was a future form of Rinoa, or a way she COULD have become Ultimecia IF it was true (if you don't believe it). That's why I tried to put in bits from both sides in this. At the very least it will be a decent read (hopefully), and I will do my best to make it more than that. I'm going to stop rambling now, or else I will need the first chapter just for notes and disclaimers ;)_

_Final Fantasy 8 the game, it's characters, concepts, etc. are from Squaresoft._

_K+_

_Not based on fighting or violence, but there is a little_

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**CLOSE TOGETHER**

The wind blows across the never ending landscape. Trees and tall grass give way to its power, unable to stand against it. But at the same time, it was gentle and forgiving, pushing the grass back and forth quietly, creating a stream of dancing figures along the horizon, that was nothing more than the grass itself. The land was quite beautiful on days like this one. These were the days that Squall and Rinoa enjoyed the most out of all.

Many years had passed since their involvement in the time compression debacle. All that mattered was that Ultimecia was defeated, as she had foreseen, and all of them had made it back alive. Though this was a nice victory indeed, the world would never be without problems, and they out of all people knew this. The world had taken many turns for the better, but also for the worse, especially considering their situation. Rinoa was a sorceress after all.

Squall stands, looking out towards the mountains and valleys in the distance. It was so beautiful, he thought. He still wears the same black outfit as he always did, with the fur near the neck and shoulder area. Most of his hair is still brown, but much of it was beginning to turn gray from the years that were quickly passing by. The large slash mark near his eye was still visible, from back when Seifer struck him in their fight. Every once in a while he rubs a couple of his fingers along it, as if thinking of the memory of how it got there every time he did. Then he shakes his head a little and then goes back to concentrating on what he is doing.

Rinoa walks up silently next to him, putting her arm around him and smiling a bit as they both watch the sun come up in the distance. It was so light outside considering only a fraction of it was up over the mountains. Her raven black hair flows down a little past her shoulder, she too wearing similar attire as she always had. She stares at Squall, her knight, for a while, then looks back into the distance, and then repeats the process all over again. He was still the most handsome man she had ever seen, she thought, and believed it fully. There were so few people left in this world that she could turn to. Even her father, Caraway, had passed away years prior. Though she didn't have the best of relations with him, he was still her father.

There was silence between them for a good long while. It was the type of love that did not even need that many words, which is probably how Squall liked it. At the same time, it feels as if there are many things that they need to say to eachother, but won't.

"We don't do this nearly enough," Rinoa finally says, breaking the silence.

"No, we don't." Squall turns to her, looking into her eyes as deep as he can.

"Squall?" Rinoa squints a little.

Squall continues looking at her, but his gaze changes due to her change of tone. "Hm?"

"It's odd that...even though Ultimecia is gone...we are still living in her shadow more than ever." Rinoa frowns and looks down at her feet finally.

"Rinoa, let's not think about those things now. This is suppose to be a good week."

"It was...and now it is almost over, and we must face reality again." Her tone borders between sad and disappointed. "This is the first time in a while I have had privacy. It always seems like the SeeD and everyone else are watching what I do..."

Squall nods a little, understandingly. "That is their job. But I must admit their principles have gotten lost in recent years. You are after all, one of the heroes who defeated Ultimecia. The same person that they are paranoid about right now."

"They just wait for her, preparing...because she is from the future..."

Squall sighs slightly. All their work didn't even seem to go towards anything. He finally comes to a decision. "If you want to stay hidden and out of the public even more, then so be it. I don't want you to be uncomfortable or in danger anymore. Isn't that why you hired that Gil...Gil---mh..." He stops, struggling to remember the name.

"Gilmahn." She giggles a little at Squall's missed attempt. "And I didn't hire him. He's been my best non-romantic friend for a long time. He takes care of all the politics and headaches so we don't have to." She smiles a little, placing emphasis on the 'non-romantic' part of the sentence. Squall liked to see her smile. He only hopes that she wasn't faking them. "But I know you don't like him that much. You think he's weird..."

"Well..." He smiles playfully.

"Alright, maybe a little. But so are you. So am I?" Her eyes open wide for a moment, as if shocked at this sudden revelation. Then smiles again.

"I guess so. He's suppose to be here sometime to get us, right?"

Rinoa nods at his question. She then leans her head against his chest, and he rubs her long strands of hair gently, continuing to look out at the sun, which is now almost fully out from behind the mountains.

"Some moments are perfect. Like this one. They are worth keeping forever." Rinoa says gently into his chest.

"Mh." Squall begins to aimlessly look around the horizon rather than up at the mountains and the sunrise, in thought.


	2. A Brief Visit

**A BRIEF VISIT  
**

It was early afternoon now. Squall and Rinoa spent their entire morning with eachother, admiring the landscape, the birds, and even talking about the past. The time they shared together was very important to her. She was no longer sure how much longer they had with eachother. They were getting older now. Squall was losing more and more steam each passing year. Not only that, but the people of the world went out of their way to dislike Rinoa, because they knew she was a sorceress. He only talked about her being in danger, but she knew well enough Squall was in even more, being her Knight.

They both sit in the grass, talking to eachother through whispers. Every once in a while one of them would smile at the other, causing the second to smile in return. They could easily be seen as the best couple around, oddly enough. Especially considering their personalities, and how Squall use to be before they met eachother. It seemed like so long ago now, when they met and danced after the group returned to Balamb Garden after their mission. That was a beautiful night, she remembered it very well.

Squall begins to hear footsteps. Sometimes they hit nothing but dirt and they are silent, but other times the feet hit rocks and grass, and they are very audible. He leans up farther from his sitting position and begins to look around, alerted by this new presence. Rinoa looks questioningly at him before she begins to hear the footsteps as well. She tilts her head, looking around the general area. Then the footsteps go quiet. Squall stands all the way up, putting a handle to his sword. He turns quickly, to see a man standing on top of a nearby rock. The man is very young, and handsome looking. He has short hair that is a gentle shade of brown. He wears a long red cloak that is shredded at the bottom, while wearing nothing on his head.

"Gilmahn!" Rinoa shouts, and smiles brightly at him. He was the only friend she had held on to besides the old group she had with Squall and the others. Being a sorceress didn't really help her social life either. Gilmahn nods at the couple and then hops down from the rock. He has a scimitar at his side, though neither of them had ever seen him use it, or even wield it for that matter. And they had known him for years. Realizing who it is, Squall sighs with relief and then kneels down again next to Rinoa, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Sorry to break up your trip, but some things have come up."

"Oh?" Squall asks back, he seems to remain patient and calm.

"Well, the Galbadian 'election' is over." Gilmahn frowns a little.

"And by your excitement, should we assume all went well?" Squall responds, obviously with sarcasm.

"Let's put it this way: the new leader doesn't see eye to eye with us on most issues. But this is not much of a surprise in my opinion. This won't bring any new problems you haven't already had to deal with already. People who dislike any sorceress, you know the type. But what can you do? We need to move on and do what we need to."

"Yeah..." Squall says quietly.

"He will be giving his first speech in a few days. I suggest that we all be in attendance. I also suggest that we be in attendance in low profile, for safety sake, there are a lot of paranoid people out there." Gilmahn holds tightly on to his cloak as the wind blows against it with some force.

"I agree. The days of friendly leaders for us is over. But we still need to see what he has to say. A few days you say?"

"Aye, Squall. Enough time to take a nice walk back, and a boat for part of the way. Sound good?"

"Yeah.." Squall says, also quietly. Rinoa moves closer to him and places a kiss on his cheek. She smiles at him and gets up.

Gilmahn turns around quickly and begins to walk down the hill, ignoring the surroundings unlike his companions, his red cloak trails behind him, sweeping against the grass, rocks, and branches. No wonder it is so badly torn at the bottom...


	3. Liberating the Past

**LIBERATING THE PAST**

Temoren. The name had gained much popularity over the few years he had been working as a SeeD. He went from an ordinary member to one of their most feared. Despised by his enemies for being persistent, cocky, and very skilled. He had slain two sorceresses. Many never even got the chance for one. And that, is how he made a name for himself. The world was filled with hate for them. For what they did in the past. For what they do in the future. Temoren was praised by his superiors, and by the public for his work against these demons.

The SeeD spend most of their time keeping a watchful eye on the happenings of the world. They even keep profiles on known sorceresses of the past and present, and their allies. They watched them almost at all times. Many remained hidden though, and this was another part of their job, finding them. Any one of them could become this "UItimecia", the one that caused so much harm through the generations. They were all determined to stop it. At all costs.

"Yes, sir." Temoren stands in good posture, looking back at one of his many superiors within the SeeD. The new Galbadian president had been elected, and he was going to give his speech tonight.

"Your job is merely to make sure nothing gets out of hand. Not a hard job at all. I figured I could give you a break every now and then, eh?"

"And for that, I am grateful of course." He smiles a little at the officer, whom he obviously has had a lot of experience with.

The officer breaks his formal tone and talks as he would to a friend. "Temoren. We all know you're good. You are a valuable asset to the SeeD. There is no need to brown nose, alright?"

"I apologize sir for my--" He stops midway through the sentence and smiles. They both laugh a little and the officer pats him on the back. "Just make sure things don't get too crazy. A little crazy, alright. Anymore than that, put your foot down. The president has his own guard, you're just here on back up. Relax if you want to."

"Don't have to tell me twice. There are some good pubs here in Deling. Grab a drink, listen to some singers maybe..."

"We'll put a few people with you. Once the night is over just head back and we'll get you on something more interesting, alright?" Temoren nods lightly to the officers question.

Just like that, the officer was gone, down the street, and out of sight. What an interesting situation this is. Sit and watch a crowd cheer on their new president while stationed with a bunch of amateurs from the garden. Well, at least there is still the pub idea, right?

Temoren pushes off from the street lamp he was leaning against. He looked up and down the street for a suitable place to grab a drink and relax before the speech. Many new places popped up in the city lately. Perhaps as a result of Galbadia getting an economic and political burst. He finds a small place that doesn't appear to have many people in it. Just as he likes it. He enters the building, inside the walls are a mix of dark red and brown, and the lighting is fairly poor, a bit depressing almost.

"Give me something good, but light. I'm technically on duty later." The bartender nods at his request and begins to mix a weak drink for the SeeD member. Temoren takes a sip of his drink, his ears drift off to the sound of a sad song being played in a room next door. The walls were thin, he can hear it very well. A piano.

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_He was alone for this mission. He knew what he had to do. The SeeD had found out a sorceress was in hiding in a cave high in the mountains, and she needed to be removed. Back then, he didn't have the reputation he has now. He was nervous, of course. He had no idea who she was, or how strong she was. But it was a matter of him surviving, or her. Or perhaps "them" would be the better term. There was the knight of course. Always a knight nearby. The pathway through the mountain was so quiet and dead. The only thing on all sides were bare rocks, no plants, nothing. Everyone once in a while the wind would blow through the long pathway, accelerated by its valley-like shape. The rocks went much higher on either side of the road, giving it an eerie feeling._

_Temoren was actually of a small build, considering he was a man who trained in melee fighting. He was shorter than many of the people he encountered, but still, not abnormally short. His hair was a dirty blonde color. He parted it to the right, and kept it flat, instead of having spikes or anything fancy. He always wore the same pair of rustic looking pants. Attached to one side was his small short sword. On the other side he had his old fashioned slow shooting pistol, which he only used when he had to. He always went with the sword first though._

_"I will liberate the past."_

_He moved hastily through along the path, his feet kicking against the rocks as he moved._

_"I will aid the future."_

_She was close. Very close now. He could feel her. He could actually FEEL her presence. He never really understood why this happened to him. But it didn't matter at this point, he knew what he had to do, and knew she was close. His steps began to become slower and softer. He peeked around a large rock to see a small cave. Nothing is there except one man with his back to Temoren, and a small camp fire that is almost at the end of its life._

_The knight didn't even hear him come up until it was too late. He began to spin around quickly only to meet his end at the swift slice of Temoren's blade. Temoren presumed he didn't feel any pain at all, or even know what hit him. He had gotten him right at the neck, and he fell back onto the ground instantly, motionless. Where was this girl? She would most certainly be alarmed by her emotions and visions. Then he heard it. A few pebbles fall in the short distance. Without even thinking, instinct took control and he pulled out his revolver and pointed it so quickly, that even he was surprised._

_He held the pistol perfectly still. A young girl peeked from around another rock. She was so young. So innocent. Was she the type that could eventually turn into the evil witch of the future? He didn't think so. She looked so much like his little sister back in Balamb. He hesitated. He always hesitated. She didn't duck back behind the rock. She was perfectly still. Paralyzed by fear. She was terrified of him? He pulled the trigger, the blast breaking the silence. Birds flew away in all directions, startled by the noise. She hadn't moved a single inch the entire time. He could tell because he closed his eyes before pulling the trigger, and it still made it to its target. The mission was over._


	4. ColdBlooded Tyrants

_"Oh, what an easy life it must be, just to follow orders... "_  
-Rinoa

**COLD-BLOODED TYRANTS**

Gilmahn's footsteps hit hard against the pavement as he runs full speed down the road leading into Deling City. The large gatehouse that still stands is directly in front of them. His cape flaps with each passing step as the night hovers above them. The city is well lit from the many street lamps that line the sidewalk. Lights from vehicles and house windows also brighten up the area. Behind him, Rinoa and Squall jog at a much slower pace, trying to keep up with him. They changed from their usual attire into plain brown cloaks, to hide their identities in public, around so many people.

Squall shouts ahead, "You know...for a pretty boy with a heavy cloak, you sure do run fast..."

Gilmahn stops pushing forward with his legs, letting the momentum carry his steps until he slowly comes to a complete stand a bit ahead of the other two. He turns around slowly and points a finger at Squall. "Careful," he says, jokingly, though with a straight face.

"Didn't you say we had enough time for a nice walk and boat trip here?"

Gilmahn frowns as Squall tries to use his own words against him. "Don't blame me. I wasn't the one taking a nice slow stroll checking out every single rock along the way." He turns around again and begins to speed walk down the side of the road.

"He seems grouchy," Rinoa says, giggling a little as she looks at Squall. He just nods and smiles back at her. The large crowd within the city can be heard from far away. The President was no doubt already there, and perhaps starting to speak already. They had lost track of time on their way back. Hopefully the large number of people would make it easy for them to hide amongst everyone else.

Squall moves even closer to Rinoa as the walk, whispering to her, "Don't go far from me."

"Do I ever?" She smiles back, with the usual glow she always had.

"There will probably be SeeD's here. Just don't put your hood down, and neither will I. I don't think they would do anything, but just to be safe."

"Whatever you say, Squall."

----------------------------

Temoren's evening of reminiscing and drinking cheap alcohol gave way to pointless duty. As he predicted the amateurs from garden arrived a little while later. Two were positioned elsewhere while the last cadet, a guy named Bozros is standing with him. They were both on the roof of one of the taller buildings, looking down at the large crowd below them. Do they even notice us up here? Temoren keeps thinking this to himself as his gaze moves around aimlessly.

hic!

Temoren flinches a little. This cadet was completely and unmistakably trashed, that he would be of no use at all tonight. Sure, he had a drink earlier too, but this one had no class at all. Everytime he speaks, his breath reeks of liquor, and God knows what else. As he kneels on the roof, disgusted at his company he begins to get a familiar feeling. He lifts his head up quickly. He remembered it well. The same sensation he always gets when a sorceress was near. But who would show up here of all places? With all these people? He ducks down, to make himself even less visible to the people on the street, not knowing where this sorceress was, or what her purpose here was.

"Galbadia has seen a period of great growth and prosperity! The nations of the world have been at peace, and all have benefited from this! We must work together, but also work to keep Galbadia strong! And this, I plan on doing!"

The crowd cheers at the President's words. Temoren continues to peek down at the road, going from one side of the roof, to the other, to check all sides and angles. He doesn't seem to be able to figure out where this sorceress is located. He seems to fix his eyes on a certain area within the crowd, towards the back. As he does this, he stands up slowly, until he is fully standing.

"Huuurh. Whatsh up?" Bozros says, nearly stumbling as he moves.

"We have a friend here tonight. And she must be watched."

"Ohhhhh! Where!" His feet flop in every direction as he turns full circle.

"Shh! Don't be a moron." Temoren's voice finally shows a hint of impatience.

"But trouble still stalks our lands. A shadow looms among us. If it is not here by now, it is on its way. The events of years passed are still fresh in the minds of many! I vow to continue working closely with SeeD and the other towns and nations of this world to rid ourselves of the sorceress problem. These cold-blooded tyrants have caused entire nations to crumble from their schemes. They are ruthless and evil, and cannot be trusted. They are the killers of thousands."

These words also get a strong response from the crowd. Even Temoren pays no attention to that part as he keeps his gaze at a certain area of the crowd.

"Watcha lookin' at?"

"Shh. Right there." He crouches a little and points directly into the crowd. Bozros peers around, with a look of confusion, waiting for Temoren to explain further.

"Right there. Lady Rinoa. And her knight, Squall. A shame that they went through all the trouble of coming here, and disguised nonetheless. Only to have it ruined by still standing next to their advisor, who is wearing that hideous red cape that he always does. Excellent job of concealing themselves I must say." He smirks a little at their sloppiness.

"Yer gonna kill em' right?" The drunk asks, anxiously.

Temoren responds slowly and confidently. "No, I am not."

"But ya just heard what he said!" He points down at the large podium below. Temoren looks quickly where his finger points, as if he forgot there was a speech going on.

"We gotta doooo sumthin'!" Before Temoren could say anything back, the drunk begins to climb down the ladder leading from the street to the roof.

"Don't do that! You'll fall you damned fool!" He rushes over to the ladder and pushes his hand out to try and grab the cadet, but he is too late, and Bozros is already halfway down to the street.

"Damnit."

------------------------

Rinoa can only watch in shock as the stiff words of the President reach her ears. How could someone say such horrible things? But perhaps he is right. She begins to think about Adel...and Ultimecia, and so many others. And now she was one of them. But he was wrong. Sorceresses did not have to be like that. She wasn't like that. She didn't even want to be like that. She also began to get an odd feeling in her stomach. An uncomfortable feeling. Perhaps it was part of this sensation that she thought she had heard this speech before...somewhere.

"We shouldn't stay long." Gilmahn says, whispering to Squall.

"Just a bit longer, what could happen?"

Even though Squall wasn't usually the social type, Rinoa can tell that he misses being able to walk into towns often. So much of his freedom has been taken away...because of her. She did not like to think about it, but it seems so obvious sometimes, she thinks to herself.

"SeeD's on the roof coming down here, that's what."

Squall looks around, trying to figure out what he is talking about, then spots two SeeD members coming down a ladder. One the way down one of them falls off the ladder and onto the pavement. Luckily for him, he was only a few steps from the ground anyways. He rebounds quickly and begins to move into the crowd. Squall becomes alarmed at this, as he is coming directly in their direction. "Alright."

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"Bozros!" He saw the drunk push into the crowd, but loses him shortly after that. "Don't go over there!"

Temoren sighs heavily, and then pushes in the same way that the other one had. "Excuse me..." He bounces against one person, to the next. He passes the spot where lady Rinoa had been standing. He figures that they spotted them, or Bozros had chased them off already. He pulls out his gun and holds it firmly in his hands, trying to make sure it doesn't go off while he rushes through the crowd.

He looks helplessly from one side of the street, to the other. There are so many alleys and roads, he thinks to himself, completely unsure of which one his drunken friend ran down.

"Why me?"

-------------------

Gilmahn pants loudly as he stops his run from the main road down a small alley. The other two are directly behind them, and also stop to catch their breath. Rinoa frowns at the situation, and Squall just looks completely disgusted.

"Did we lose them?" She asks, looking at the two men.

"I guess...do they have to be so annoying?" Gilmahn tugs a little at his cloak nervously.

"Well, I guess the party is over, we should get back out of here." Squall rolls his neck, and it cracks a little.

"Damned witch!" The shout comes from out of a nearby shadow. A SeeD cadet comes charging out with his sword drawn, holding it straight in front of him. He holds the sword like a fool, but dangerously nonetheless. Squall reaches for the handle of his own blade, but realizes it is too late and he throws himself between the SeeD cadet and Rinoa. The sword hits Squall. It doesn't penetrate his midsection, but it takes a chunk of flesh off of his side, right below the ribs. He winces from the pain and falls to his knees, and then to the ground.

Rinoa gasps as she looks in shock at what has happened. Gilmahn takes advantage of the situation and holds onto the cadets shoulders and throws him backwards. His impact with Squall and his drunken state makes him fall quickly, his balance in poor shape. Gilmahn then moves swiftly over to the fallen cadet and he slams his foot against his chest, holding him down. He draws his scimitar from his side and points it down at the intruder. "Don't."

The cadet ignores the warning and reaches out for his sword, which fell to the ground a few feet away, while trying to push Gilmahn's leg off at the same time. Annoyed by this, Gilmahn sweeps the blade down at the cadet. He stops moving and struggling instantly. Gilmahn looks down at his bloody sword, completely surprised by his own behavior. He moves his leg from the cadets chest and turns around, still with the same look on his face. Rinoa stops her attention to Squall, also looking up at her friend in shock. Eventually he returns back to his serious expression, and says bitterly, "That's why we don't linger."

They both turn their attention down to Squall. He is bleeding from the large gash that ripped into his flesh, but is still breathing, and his eyes are open, moving around slowly. Gilmahn kneels down to the fallen knight and looks at the wound briefly. "Not life threatening as long as we get it cleaned and bandaged. Which is not the thing to do right here next to a dead body."

----------------------

Temoren hears a scream down one of the alleyways. Was it Rinoa? It did not matter, that was his only clue to where they might have gone. He keeps his pistol held out, a little more enthusiastically now since he is away from most of the crowd. He begins to jog quietly down the alleyway. It would be a bad idea to alarm them further by running with his boots on. He looks down the alley to see a body on the ground, barely visible due to the lack of lighting there. He moves quickly and begins to see more clearly, a man with a SeeD uniform.

He angrily mouths words to himself as he looks upon the sight, tightly closing his eyes. What the hell did they just do? Both Bozros and whoever slew him. Did Squall do this?

Things got too crazy, but he was too late to put his foot down.


	5. Fallen Knight

"_We're SeeDs! We're trained to kick the sorceress' ass!"_

-Zell

PASSING OF A KNIGHT

Squall lived, but he was never the same after that. One could almost mark the date of his injury as the date of his death. He no longer had any flare to him. His age was part of it, the injury the rest. The gash on his left side healed, but the pain was also there, nipping at him whenever he moved or walked. He was not in shape to even move far distances, nevertheless be the knight for a Sorceress in hostile times. Rinoa's love and worry for him also lived on, though she was unsure of everything at that point.

It even got to the point where Gilmahn had to help him walk over the rough terrain. Due to who they were, going into a town or village was out of the question completely, so they managed with what they had. Then the day came that Squall passed away. It was quiet, and painless. Well, painless at the moment it happened at least. His life had been full of pain, physical and emotional, especially after he became her knight, and Rinoa knew it.

They find a clearing in the middle of a forest. They decide that will do. They lay out Squall's body along a large stone pedestal. They set him up facing upwards, his hands up to his chest holding his gunblade in a very noble position. Rinoa falls to the ground right near the pedestal. She moves her hands slowly though his hair. Her eyes stare at him, but she doesn't seem to be thinking about anything, the look in them completely empty. After a while of silence she talks quietly.

"I feel so...old."

Her hair now has streaks of gray amongst the deep black. Gilmahn had noticed it, but he hasn't said anything.

"Thinking like that will get you nowhere." He stands back quietly and politely, holding his hands in front of himself.

"But...I...he..." She puts her head down and cries a little. Gilmahn just watches, and blinks for a few moments, and then decides to continue talking.

"Well, I am still with you..." She continues to cry. This apparently wasn't much comfort to her, and Gilmahn frowns a little and scratches his head. He speaks a little more seriously now.

"Rinoa..." He moves over right next to her and he places his hand on her shoulder and rubs it a little as she continues to cry quietly. Eventually he kneels down right next to her, looking right at her although she buried her face in her arms.

"Your time with Squall was the most precious thing to you. And his time with you was his. There is no more one could ask for than to get the most out of love, and you two have, I have watched you for a long time. I never have seen anything like it." Rinoa peeks up a little at him, her eyes bloodshot.

"And from there, you can still get everything out of your love for him. By holding on to the strong memories of the loved...and lost. But also not letting the grief hurt you. Squall wouldn't want that. I don't want that either." She finally moves forwards and hugs Gilmahn, clutching his cape with one hand, and holding Squall's ring in another. He looks much more pleased with this response than the last one.

"I love him."

"I know." Gilmahn remains motionless as she grasps onto him, and talks.

"My protector is gone...I am so vulnerable. Maybe I should just...build a house in the sky. There no one could get me."

Gilmahn's expression goes from understanding to annoyance fairly quickly. "That won't save you from anything."

--------------------------------

Train was the quickest way back at this point. From there, a boat or something can finish the trip, Temoren thinks to himself. He hadn't been in Balamb in a long time. Or even the garden for that matter. He always enjoys the peace and quiet that can be found there. Ironically, as he thinks about that, a train goes tearing by him. It creates a wave of wind and noise on each side of the tracks as it passes, like a thunderstorm happening right next to him. He watches it go by, waiting for the next train, which would be his.

The problem at this point was to get out of the situation that had been created in Deling. A sorceresses knight went out and slew a SeeD cadet. People will be out for blood, and his superiors would be asking all sorts of questions about why he was so careless during the mission. What was he suppose to say? "Hello, your cadet is dead, because he got trashed and went after people who didn't do anything, and gave the SeeD an even worse name than they already have at this point" ? He decides to stay away from a response like that and avoid the suspension.

_Temoren hit hard against a large crate. The knight pulled out his sword while he is on the ground and held it up into the air, coming down quickly onto him. He rolled across the crate so avoid the slash, and the sword imbedded right into the wood. The knight struggled to pull it out, while Temoren got back to his feet. They thought they could sneak through Galbadia by train? They were wrong. Though, he gave them credit for hiding fairly well amongst the maze of boxes on this freight train. But his feelings led him to them, it always did._

_He ran full speed at the knight, in turn knocking him down onto the crate. The knight grabbed on to Temoren's leg as he tried to back up, nearly making him fall. He reached down and punched the knight across the face, leading to the release of his leg, and he stood back a little. The knight slowly began to fall off the crate, at the very end he reached for a handle to stop himself. Temoren removed his short sword from his side and walked over to him._

_He turned the sword around, so that the handle was farthest from him. He raised it into the air and came down so that the handle struck the Knight's hand, which was clenching onto the handle. Temoren felt a bone break under the pressure. "Aggh!" The knight let out a yell as the handle hit his hand. He grabbed the crate with his good hand and let go with the other. Temoren raised the sword again and came down onto the other hand, hitting it even harder than the first time. "Ahh!"_

_The knight let go of the crate completely and fell from the box onto the train car itself. It was a flat car that had a lot of boxes sitting upon it. A long string of fire came from the freight car in front of them, Temoren rolled across the crate to get out of its path. The sorceress was still over there somewhere. He began to make his way from one box to the other, getting closer to the connection between the two cars. Meanwhile. the knight moved along the bottom, also trying to get to the same place._

_It was hard to keep balance since the train was moving so fast, but they managed. The knight got there first, he nearly sits on the car's edge and began to fiddle with the connector between the two. He frantically tried to get them apart, using his strong hand to pull on things, and his broken hand to help a little. Temoren realized what he was trying to do, and jumped down from the crates right behind him. He grabbed onto the knight's shoulders and pushed him with all the strength he had left. The knight went off the car and onto the grass near the tracks, rolling a good long way before coming to a stop. He looked up helplessly from the grass to the train that was quickly moving away._

_He saw the sorceress on top of one of the crates on the freight car in front of him, she was looking back towards her knight who had been thrown off. Temoren looked down at the connector, and it began to loosen even more and come apart. The knight had accomplished his mission at least, he though to himself. He pulled out his gun and quickly climbed to one of the crates on his own freight car and looked to the sorceress, holding the gun out in front of him. She was young too, with long blonde hair, and he couldn't make out her eye color from where he was. The distance between them increased quickly because her car was still attached, and friction was making his come to a stop. Why did they always stand still?_

_He kept the gun pointed out at her for a while. Eventually, he put it back into its holster, and hopped down from the crate as his part of the train slowly came to a stop._


	6. Faith's Bane

_"Trouble still stalks our lands. A shadow looms among us. If it is not here by now, it is on its way --- Shameless filthy wretches. Have you no shame? --- These cold-blooded tyrants have caused entire nations to crumble --- The cold-blooded tyrant that slaughtered countless men and destroyed many nations? Where is she now? She stands before your very eyes to become your new ruler."_

-Ultimecia as Edea, and President of Galbadia

**FAITH'S BANE**

Rinoa and Gilmahn move slowly along a mountain path. They had spent the last few weeks recovering from Squalls passing. They moved on as they always did, staying away from populated areas, sleeping where they could, even quietly under trees. Gilmahn had realized that he could no longer leave Rinoa to go do all the political and public nonsense. He remains by her side as they move along the path. They don't speak much to eachother, clearly tired from the walking, and hurt by Squalls death.

They both spot a house farther down the path. It has a very welcoming appearance to it. It is the only house they have seen in so long, and it sits alone amongst the bare landscape. Gilmahn looks at it for a while, wondering if they should go up to it. "You think...?"

"Doesn't look like the home of a murderer or anything..." Rinoa shrugs a little, uncertain also.

"I guess we'll see then?"

Gilmahn begins to walk a little quicker. The path they go on is very narrow, with tall grass on either side, and large bare rocks beyond that. He makes it to small stepping stones that lead up to the home. He moves forward slowly, takes a breath, and knocks politely on the door. He stands there for a while, looking at the door, waiting. As he is about to turn away and walk back, the door clicks open. An old woman with short poofy white hair opens the door. "OooOooh!" She says, quickly, with surprise and delight.

"Ma'am?" Gilmahn says, half turned.

"Come in! Unless you are only asking for directions! Hehe.." She moves back quickly into the house, fairly quickly for an old woman. Gilmahn gives a little smirk and shrug, then follows her in, and Rinoa follows him in turn.

"Sit, dear, you need anything?" The inside of the house is fairly small, but what more does one old lady need? Gilmahn looks at a small sofa in the first room, and sits carefully, feeling like he is barging in to her house almost. He starts talking to her while she is in her kitchen.

"I don't really know what to make of this. I don't recall ever being welcomed somewhere in my life."

The old lady comes out of the kitchen with a few odd shaped cups. She sets one down in front of each of them. "Oh! You're Rinoa! And...and..." She snaps her fingers lightly, trying to recall a name, while Rinoa nods at the mention of her own name.

"Gilmahn."

"Yes, that's it!" Sorry dear, I don't get out much it's hard to remember these things." She moves to her own little chair and sits down. "I'm more familiar with Rinoa, my husband use to be a SeeD, back when Squall and all you were in your prime." Gilmahn puts his hand up slowly to show he doesn't care his name wasn't remembered, and he uses his other hand to pick up the cup and take a drink from it.

"Don't worry dear, it's homemade, and good...at least I think so." She continues drinking from her own. "Though I don't tell anyone what's in it. Nothing bad though. My husband drank it for years, loved it, but never could figure out what I put in." She smiles slightly thinking of the memories. "Yes, he was a SeeD during most of it. All that turmoil in Galbadia back then. When the soldiers fought them in the garden. Was there and made it through all of it, God bless him." She looks solemnly at a photo on a nearby table.

After a minute or two of silence and drinking, she continues on suddenly, "It killed him inside you know." Both Rinoa and Gilmahn look up at her. "The way they treated you all later on. You saved all of us, and then they let paranoia get the best of them. Fear and hate never leads to good. He looked up to all of you. He quit later on."

"I can't say I blame them though..." Rinoa looks down, fiddling with her fingers. Gilmahn recognizes she is probably feeling bad about...well, just about everything at this point, and tries to change the subject.

"Well, you uh...live out here alone?" His words come out quite awkwardly.

"Yes dear. My husband liked the quiet. I do too." She nods her head happily as she speaks, taking another sip every once in a while. "Never had any famous people here though, quite a surprise I must say."

"Famous..."

"Oh, I'll take that dear." Gilmahn holds an empty cup in his hand, not noticing. The old lady gets up and takes his cup and moves back into the kitchen. She has the energy of a twenty year old, he thinks to himself. She keeps talking from the other room. "And I'll just assume you are going to stay for the night, because I won't allow anything else!"

Gilmahn shrugs to Rinoa in the other room, apparently not going to make a fuss with the old lady.

"Because if you leave before tomorrow morning you'll miss my world renowned pie. And if I eat it myself I'll be all...peh."

"Ooooh, we wouldn't want that now would we?" Gilmahn chuckles a little, managing to get a small smile from Rinoa as well.

Gilmahn gets a tingling feeling in his chest at that moment. He isn't sure why, but he is quite aware of what the feeling was. He couldn't have any such feelings for Rinoa, he thinks to himself. Even if he did, it would be a slap in Squalls face, and he didn't want her to have to deal with more nonsense than she already had. He takes a deep breath and rubs the back of his head, unsure of what to do about this sudden revelation. Why did these feelings have to come on now?

_---------------------------------_

The day passed with little happening. Night time came as it always did. The only lights in the area came from the old ladies house, through the small windows on the first floor. Rinoa had gone to sleep early upstairs, while Gilmahn and the welcoming old lady sat at a table downstairs. They each have a large stack of cards near them, laying them out on the table. They are playing none other than triple triad. Gilmahn lays a gilgamesh card on the table, gaining an advantage to the cards right side and bottom side. The old lady pauses, tapping her finger against her chin. After a few moments she puts a mog card to the top of the gilgamesh card, beating it's 3 with the mogs 9.

"God damnit." Gilmahn shakes his head.

"I believe I win by a couple there, dear." She smiles delightedly.

"I love this game, and hate it." He takes his cards off the table and starts piling them up.

"Oh me too. I use to play more often." She moves her own cards fairly well, despite having frail hands.

"I don't like the complicated rules though."

"No me either."

Rinoa moves slowly across the cold floor. It wasn't night time, but it was so...dark. Balamb garden was never this deserted was it? She can hear various voices down the hallways, and sometimes even right next to her. At first they are just an incomprehensible mix of whispers, but every once in a while she can make out what is being said.

_Enough play, SeeDs must die!_

She turns around in various directions, trying to see what is making all of the voices, but is unable to see anything.

_Ultimecia's inside Adel. Exactly as she wanted. Ok, this is the showdown folks! Time compression is about to begin. 'Love, friendship, and courage'! Show'em what you got! _

That voice. She knows that voice. Laguna?

_I will liberate the past._

She wasn't sure of this one. She shivers a little, a cold wind blows against her. The voices get louder.

_**I will destroy your future!**_

At the very end of the sentence a gunshot breaks into the air. Rinoa nearly jumps out of her sleep, breaking into a sweat. Her hands shake violently, she breathes heavily, breaking the silence in the small bedroom. What was happening?

_As long as you don't get your hopes up, you can take anything..._

_You feel less pain._

-Squall


	7. Pasts Wrath

_"So, you're a SeeD? Then go plant your ass somewhere and leave me alone."_

-Gilmahn

**PASTS WRATH**

Temoren arrives in the town of Balamb. He loves it like no place other. The gentle and beautiful colors, the peace and quiet, the amazing view of the sea. This is the perfect place, he thinks to himself. He walks slowly down the street, passing small shops, and the train station. The one that went underground from Balamb to Timber. He came back on boat though, he loved the ocean so much. Plus, the train seemed so boring after a while.

He makes his way to the Balamb Hotel. 100 gil for a night, not too bad, he thinks. His sister lives in Balamb, one of the reasons why he came. The other reason is the fact that he got a nice suspension for the Deling incident. A small slap on the wrist compared to what could have happened. This did not surprise him at all. The leadership within the SeeD had gotten very foolish. They could be doing important things, but instead they fiddle with disciplinary actions even though he didn't really do anything wrong.

The bad news had also reached him earlier. Squall had passed away. Although he was the knight to a sorceress, he was still the SeeD that defeated Ultimecia. The one that was destined to defeat her all along. Now it was the SeeDs job to see that these things don't happen in the future. The head members of Balamb Garden asked for his body, they planned on doing a small ceremony for him, but in short Rinoa's advisor told them to...well, yeah.

A gust of winds blows harshly through the abandoned street. Along with it came that familiar feeling that Temoren always got. He knew it too well, but not enough about it. Is Rinoa and Gilmahn here? Why would they be in Balamb? The questions swirl in his mind as his guard goes up. The feeling gets stronger and weaker, fading in and out, like a shadow creeping through the night. Eventually it seems to fade away altogether, leaving Temoren to wonder even more. He begins to turn around and keep walking, but stops quickly, startled by a figure.

"Bro!" Says a young girl, in her mid twenties. She has long brown hair and a bright smile.

"Sis...geez. Don't scare me like that." He moves over quickly to her and hugs her tightly, nearly lifting her up off the ground. "I haven't seen you in so long..."

"Well, you don't come home that much." She pouts a little as he lets go of her.

"I can't help it, things have been busy." He runs the back of his neck while rotating it, as if getting rid of a cramp. "Come on, girl, smile again." He pats the top of her head, the smile slowly returns. "I rented a room at the hotel for a few nights. The good room with the nice view. Should be awesome."

"Oh, that's good! I still have my own place, but it's too small for another person to sleep, sorry..."

"No, that's alright. I don't want to impose." He steps past her a little ways. "I need to get my things to the room, Sis. Then...we should walk by the water, or something." His little sisters looks back at him with an odd look, he had never seen her look at him that way. After a few moments she shakes her head quickly.

"Sorry, I'm tired...walk...uh, yeah...sure."

That feeling continues to nip at Temoren the entire day. Like a fly that won't go away no matter how much or how hard you swat. It isn't at full strength though. It just fades in and out with the wind. Perhaps Rinoa and Gilmahn came to Balamb after all to discuss a ceremony for Squall? Whatever it is, he refuses to let it distract him from his good day, so far at least.

They walk along the harbor. It was one of the best views in the world, Temoren thinks to himself. He had been to quite a few places, so that says a lot. Various birds fly over head, while other people move about the harbor. Despite all the animals and people about, it is still very quiet. Temoren and his sister continue to walk on, whispering about memories, family, and much more.

"Why are you so busy all the time?" She asks, their conversation becomes louder than their previous ones.

"The world has many problems, Sis. I have to take care of them."

"Like what problems?" She asks softly.

"There are bad people in this world, Sis. They do bad things. They try to deceit everyone."

"Who would do that?"

"Sorceresses." He keeps his answers as short and simple as possible. "You don't see these problems as much as I do, because of my job."

"I'm not a kid anymore, you know." She says, a little annoyed.

"I know! I'm just saying. My job is to deal with problems. You don't really do that."

His sister begins to slow down more and more, until she comes to a full stop. Temoren doesn't even notice at first until he looks to his side and no one is walking beside him. He stops and looks back to his sister, who is on the verge of tears.

"Huh...why you cryin'?" Temoren looks behind himself and sees nothing, then he turns back to his sister, confused.

"I...I just need some time to myself." She turns and jogs away, he starts to chase her, but she goes around a corner and he figures she might need to be by herself for a while.

Time to go back to my room then, he thinks to himself, still concerned about his sister too. He walks back the way he came, the wind blows against his back, his loose pants ruffle against the force of it. He walks in quietly, and nods to the owner. He walks up the stairs to his room, the one with the good view. He was happy it wasn't reserved when he arrived. Slowly and gently, the door opens as he walks in, and he closes it gently as well. He sighs a little about the way his day has went for the worse.

Temoren walks over to a small sofa in the room. He plops down on it, only noticing a small piece of paper on the table in front of him minutes later. He raises a brow and picks it up and begins to read.

_Brother,_

_I took a trip to Deling City a few weeks ago. During the night I was confronted by this very strange woman. She said something about "succeeding where I failed", and then she...disappeared! I didn't even know what had happened until days later. She passed a part of herself on to me, brother. I thought I could talk to you today about this. I have no one to protect me. But it seems I cannot come to you for help. I know what your job is, even though you like to think I am ignorant about everything. It is clear to me now that this will no longer work out, and I have left. I am sorry._

_Sis_

He just stares at the piece of paper after finishing it. A chill starts at the bottom of his spine and goes all the way up, hitting every vertebrae along the way. She wanted him to be her knight? Who was this witch in Deling city? This witch had attacked him in a way no other one ever had.

Temoren stands up quickly, taking a firm hold of a glass cup, and throws it against a nearby wall. It explodes, breaking into a thousand pieces, shattering the silence of the hotel.

He dies a little more inside.


	8. Find Your Way

_Right and wrong are not what separate us and our enemies. It's our different_

_standpoints, our perspectives that separate us. Both sides blame one another._

_There's no good or bad side. Just two sides holding different views._

-Squall

**FIND YOUR WAY**

Gilmahn slowly opens his eyes. His vision is blurry, but slowly comes into focus. The sun shines brightly into the small spare bedroom of the old ladies house. This is a relief to Gilmahn, especially since it had been overcast the last few days, if not the entire week. Despite the recent happenings, this bright morning raises his spirits some. He slowly lifts himself up and out of bed. He reaches over for his scimitar, grabbing it firmly, and attaching it to his side. He moves across the wooden floor, taking a few weary steps, before stopping and making a big yawn, stretching out his hands. When was the last time he had slept in a bed?

Moving to the door, he opens it slowly and carefully. He begins to move down the small staircase. The stairs creak despite much effort on his part. He was unsure of how tired Rinoa was, or the daily routine of the old lady, so he tries to keep it down. After making it to the bottom, he is not surprised at all to see the old lady already up in her kitchen, with a bright smile, cooking nonetheless.

"Good morning, dear." She says, scurrying about.

"Morning...Rinoa still asleep?"

The old lady stops suddenly and turns back to him. "Oh...I thought she was with you?"

"Huh?" Gilmahn raises a brow.

"I went to check up on her in her room, and she wasn't there..."

Gilmahn exhales sharply. "She's somewhere...alone." He moves swiftly over to a small table and grabs his bag from it. He begins to move to the door. "Thanks for everything." He then goes into a full run as he pushes open the door and sprints outside.

The old lady puts her hand up to try and get his attention, but he didn't notice. She moves to the kitchen window and pushes it open the best she can, and yells out after him. "Dear!"

A few moments later Gilmahn barges back into the house through the same door, he grabs a container off a counter, a piece of her 'world renowned' pie no doubt, he pats her head, and then rushes back out the door. Then she moves back over to the window again and shouts out, "You're welcome!" She smiles and goes back to her cooking.

Gilmahn panics, looking back and forth down each direction of the path they were on. He figures she wouldn't have gone back down where they came from, so he turns left and begins to run as quickly as he can down the small dirt path. Sharp rocks and tall grass border the path on all sides. He kicks up dirty as he pushes ahead with decent speed. He is unable to see much due to the grass and other obstacles along the road, and to the sides. After a few minutes of running on adrenaline, he begins to come out onto better ground, the grass height lowers, the number of rocks lessens.

The wind begins to blow harder, making the grass sway in various directions. Overhead, the nice sunny morning turns back to an overcast day. In the distance, he spots a figure. At first she is hard to see, but her blue attire becomes more and more apparent. He smiles a little, then turns back to a frown. "Rinoa..." He moves along the path quickly, though much slower than earlier in his trip.

Gilmahn makes it up to Rinoa, she sits on a rock looking at the ground.

"Hey..." He waits for a response, but doesn't get one. "Why'd you run off?"

"Because I bring a shadow with me." She finally responds, plainly.

"What do you mean?" He says, with obvious concern.

"The SeeDs are relentless. They will kill me and all those with me if I stay in one spot too long."

Gilmahn sighs quite audibly, taking a couple steps towards her. "Rinoa..." She turns on the rock, apparently to not face towards him any longer. Gilmahn notices her wings have changed to an unhealthy shade of charcoal, but ignores this for now. "I won't let that happen."

"Just like Squall wouldn't. But he left. They always leave."

"Squall cared for you. You cared for him. Your care turned into more. Funny how that happens sometimes, yes?"

"I don't understand."

Gilmahn realizes where he was about to go with that, and is glad she didn't catch on. He tries to get back on track. "Don't show them that sorceresses are the evil they say they are." He says, with a lot of confidence now.

"Why do you insist on lecturing?" She says back, bitterly.

"I'm not lec--" He gets cut off by a sudden outburst.

"I hate them! Why do you defend what they do!" By now, she had slowly turned back to facing him.

"I don't defend them, but sometimes we need to take the higher road, and be better than they are."

"Are you saying I'm not being mature or better than them?" She says, continuing with an angry tone.

Gilmahn stops trying to argue and just looks back at her. He stares deep into her eyes, she was clearly upset. But more than anything she looked exhausted.

"You didn't sleep last night." He says, completely breaking the flow of the previous conversation.

"A little." Rinoa almost seems to be pouting at this point.

"Tell me what's bothering you...please." He is almost begging at this point.

"Maybe I just need to be left alone. But it seems I can't get that either." She gets up from the large rock, quickly moving off the path into a random direction. Gilmahn just stands still, shaking his head slightly. More at himself than anything else.

_I can't help her like Squall could._

Gilmahn slowly moves towards the rock Rinoa just departed from, kicking his feet against the dirt. He plops down on top of it and sighs. What was there to do?

_The least I can do is grant her more private time._

_Was she right? ... Yes. The SeeD would figure it out eventually. It won't be long now. The question is...what to do?_

_Kill her? What would that accomplish? Slay my best friend to appease them, then they would just continue on waiting for 'Ultimecia' to come. Or the other way, killing the SeeDs, that would just raise the paranoia. I already have the blood of one on his hands, anymore and they will be out for a lynching._

_I have failed again. Why wont anything work? Maybe it is meant to be._

He raises his sleeve and presses it tightly against his moist eyes. He sniffs lightly a few times, sitting weakly on top of the large rock. He presses his arm up tighter as his eyes get more moist. Eventually he slowly wipes sideways across, sniffing a little more.

_I can't give up this easily. Not yet._

_No one can predict the future. There are no guarantees._

-Rinoa


	9. Fragments of Memories

_"If it's possible to change the past then it's worth a try isn't it?"_

-Ellone

**FRAGMENTS OF MEMORIES**

Temoren sits quietly in the same hotel room, the one with the nice view of the harbor. He sits tapping his foot on the ground, with a clock ticking in the background. There is only one answer to this problem, and it is to find his sister and talk reasonably with her. To do anything besides that would just be absurd and unnecessary. But still, he can't seem to shake off this sick feeling in his stomach. Has anything really changed? He isn't sure. One thing he is sure of though, is the possible location of where his Sister has run off too. There is a small forest near Balamb Garden that she always went to when she got into moods like this. Ironic now, the location of it, so close to where the Garden was.

The more he thinks about it, the more sure he is that the forest is where she went too. Maybe she is waiting for him there even now, waiting to talk, needing someone to be there. The idea of her being there alone worries him a lot anyways. He has to try and find her, and soon. He slowly stands up from his long sit and walks to the door, opens it, and leaves. He walks past the owner, who looks at him oddly, but doesn't say anything. Probably wondering about the glass breaking incident earlier.

_"You shouldn't be out here." Temoren said, almost reprimandingly._

_"Why not!" His sister yelled back at him. She was sitting up in a branch looking down at him. Trees surrounded them on all sides. He remembered that day well._

_"Because, it isn't safe, and you could get lost."_

_"Stop acting like Dad! He's gone. And now mom is too..."_

_"Sis..." His tone went from slightly upset, to serene and comforting. "She loved us. And now the cycle of life has taken her, and she will continue to love us. The only difference now is that she isn't right here, in our vision, in our senses. But maybe one day she will be again, and dad too."_

_"Like...a vacation?" She asked quietly, sniffing a little._

_"Yes...A vacation, exactly!" He nodded enthusiastically at her, finding this a good analogy to comfort her. God, they were so young back then. She was a teenager, and he was in his early twenties. Seemed like forever ago._

_"A vacation..." She seemed to ponder on this for a while, before accepting it more._

_"Sis, come down. We can't leave eachother alone now."_

_"You're right..."_

Temoren makes his way to the edge of the forest. He can see Balamb Garden in the corner of his eye, and the small forest right in front of him. He begins to move closer and closer, with each step. She has to be here, she wouldn't go anywhere else. As he gets closer, he thinks he spots a figure sitting up in one of the trees right at the edge of the forest. Though, when he gets closer yet, the figure disappears. Perhaps an illusion, but he takes it as a sign that he is correct.

Reaching the exact edge of the forest, where the long stretch of grass becomes trees, he steps next to one of them and moves his hand along the bark. He is no longer sure of where he is going, since the last time he was here was years ago. But he knows deep down his feelings and emotions would lead him to her, it always did. He takes a shaky step onto the forest ground, his feet crunch against fallen branches, leaves, small rocks, and more. Before leaving, he had made sure to bring his gun and sword. This is his sister though, he thinks to himself. Nothing has changed. Perhaps he brought them because he isn't sure of her mental state (or his own?)

What has happened? They have gone from loving siblings to...this. Temoren makes his way deeper and deeper into the forest. So far in, that the sun becomes blocked even more, leaving him to a very eerie feeling. The sick feeling in his stomach was still there as well. That feeling began to come back to him. He was expecting it this time, and it came right on schedule. But as the feeling comes, the feeling of his sister, he hears a noise in the distance. It is light at first, not even audible each time it happens. A bush nearby him shakes a little as the noises come.

_bmmp!_

_bmmp!_

He tilts his head to the side, giving a curious look, and listening. He tries to identify this sound, but can't seem to grasp it. Now it is closer, and his feet vibrate at each coming of this sound.

_bmmp!_

Where is his sister? So many thoughts go through his mind. These thoughts almost distract him completely from the sounds and shakes until a new sound reaches his ear. A very low, agitated growl, like a growl deep from somethings throat. He does not even have to turn, he already knows what it is. But he turns his head around more anyways, to see a T-Rexaur standing in between the trees, looking back at him.

_ggrrrrmmmhh..._

Stand still, he thinks to himself. They use to give him survival tips for situations like this, but he never needed to use any of them for the forest. He rarely went to any. He keeps his body stiff, wondering what to do as the large creature looks back at him with beady eyes, also not moving. I can't stand here forever, he says inaudibly to himself. He slowly moves his hand down his side to his gun. Without thinking about it anymore he pulls it out of its holster and shoots it at the T-Rexaur. He shoots as fast as the gun allows him to.

The bullets make it to their target, but it just seems to aggravate the monster even more. It begins to take long and fast steps forward. Temoren starts to run, shooting through the trees when he sees an open shot at it. He runs towards a group of thicker trees, hoping that it would have a tougher time following and finding him. His legs feel so heavy and tense as he tries to run. The sweat begins to accumulate on the back of his neck, and his forehead. He can hear it gaining on him, he just can't outrun anything with such long legs.

He turns around and begins firing more shots from his pistol. The T-Rexaur moves even closer yet. Suddenly, Temoren shields his eyes as a bright flash illuminates the forest all around him. He holds up his sleeve to try and see what is going on. The T-Rexaur stops at this sudden change as well, looking around angrily. A few moments after the flash, a huge line of ice comes from between two trees and completely surrounds the T-Rexaur. It covers it for a few seconds before shattering. The creature stumbles around after the ice breaks, and eventually falls hard against the forest floor.

A guardian force?

"Sis!" He shouts out, looking for the origin of the attack.

He does a full circle, looking through the trees, even up high into the branches. He continues spinning about, hopelessly.

"Sis. I don't want to do this anymore, I'm done." He quickly takes the sword from his side and tosses in onto the ground, not caring about what happens to it.

"I didn't know. I don't want things to change. Come back home." He continues saying, comfortingly and calmly.

Temoren stops spinning around and just stares in one direction, not even sure if his sister had heard him. A figure moves out from behind the trees, she walks quietly up behind Temoren, placing her hand gently on his shoulder. The only thing Temoren can think of is the vision of the T-Rexaur, and whatever other beasts and dangers lay waiting in this forest. He turns quickly, startled by the touch, and fires his gun again. His sister doesn't flinch, doesn't cry in pain, she merely looks down at the hole, which starts bleeding, her mouth wide open. Then she slowly looks back up at Temoren. Shortly after she does so, he can see the life fly right out of her eyes and she falls back onto the ground.

His eyes open wide at the realization of what had just happened. He sees quite clearly that he shot her in a vital area, and she stopped moving. He begins to cough loudly, falling to his knees right next to his sister. He looks at her body in horror and shock. He turns his head to the side and vomits right onto the ground next to him. After letting out a few loud breaths, he picks up his sword and runs full speed out of the forest.


	10. Peace of Mind

Note: A little short, but one of the best chapters, in my opinion. So, sorry about length.

_"I can't go back now. I can't go anywhere."_

-Seifer

**PEACE OF MIND**

Rinoa continues walking quickly away from where Gilmahn is. She isn't really sure why she was so mean to him. Maybe he was right...she is so tired. Strange visions cloud her mind and even her dreams. To the point where she can only sleep a few hours regardless. What does this all mean? After a lot more walking she sits on the ground, her back against a rock. She peers over the top of it to make sure no one is following her, even her friend.

She turns back, looking down at her hand, which is clenched tightly. Slowly opening her hand, she looks at Squalls ring. She had been holding on to it all the time since he passed away. Her eyes get so heavy, tired from not sleeping the last few nights. She tries to keep them open as long as possible. But she fails, they slowly come to a close, her hand loosens up, and she falls into a deep sleep against the rock. Rinoa is completely unaware of where she ends up in her long walk. Within a short distance from where the field is. The one where the promise was made.

_Rinoa treads through the tall grass. White flower petals surround her on all sides, flying peacefully breeze that comes by at a constant pace. She holds her hands out, the petals fall lightly into her hands. She looks at them, smiling brightly. She doesn't remember the last time she felt so at peace, so hopeful about the world. She even forgets about Squall for a moment, just one moment, until voices begin to come in along with the cool breeze._

_"I'll be here... I'll be 'waiting' here... I'll be waiting for you, so... If you come here... You'll find me... I promise..."_

_As the voices come, Rinoa looks around towards the sky, and then turns in a full circle, unable to find the source of it. After a few moments, she looks down at her hands. Instead of white petals in them, they are black pedals, with drips of blood coming off of them. She shakes them off her hands quickly in horror at this change._

_"We're fighting across generations."_

_She jumps back, startled by Squall's voice, clear as day right next to her. She thinks she even saw a glimpse of his figure...and perhaps even her own with him? She had heard those words before...but from where? Then she remembers, on their way to Ultimecia's castle._

_"No matter what happens, even if you become the world's enemy,_

_I'll be your knight."_

_The words continue to come. The last few are also Squall's. He says them very confidently into her ear. She turns quickly to see no one standing there._

_The enemy of the world._

_She is the enemy of the world. For doing what? She had done nothing to them. The opposite actually, she had helped save them. But she is a sorceress, and that changes everything._

_"Squall, why did you have to leave?"_

_"Rinoa, why are you leaving? As we speak, even."_

_His voice continues to respond back from nowhere. _

_"I'm...not?" Rinoa looks down at her hands again. She is now wearing gloves, ones she had never owned. Her eyes widen at all these odd images and voices. _

_"I was there for you, Rinoa. If I had my way I would still be there for you. But that isn't my decision. Don't grieve, don't stay in the past."_

_"..Why aren't you here waiting?"_

_"It's not about going back, Rinoa. It's about going forward. Come with me." The voice goes through the air, so calm, so caring._

_"But...I can't...I can't see you..." She looks around, distressed, breathing heavily._

_"There is one other you can follow." The voice trails off, and stops responding._

_"Squall..." Subconsciously, her hand moves to her long hair, moving through it gently. She looks to the side and gasps, seeing that it has turned completely gray. "I---I----..."_

_She begins to hear loud footsteps in the grass behind her. She turns quickly to face the newcomer. She looks eye to eye with Squall. The love of her life, standing there in the field, alive and young. This happy moment is quickly eclipsed by increasing clouds overhead. She smiles back at him, but his feelings don't seem to be the same. He merely looks back with a serious and cold stare, no longer saying anything._

_"Squall...please." She pleads to him to give a response, besides the cold stare. She begins to notice it gets even darker outside. She turns her head to the side to see a large castle hovering in the near distance. She blinks a few times in awe of this._

_Squall looks at the castle too, taking a long glance at it, still with his serious expression. He slowly looks back, as if Rinoa is at fault for something unspoken. He takes a few steps closer, Rinoa hesitates. Squall keeps his hand near his side, at the handle of his gunblade. His serious expression turns into one of pure hatred and rage. She had never seen him look at her like that before. She is terrified of what he is thinking, and why he is acting this way._

_"Squall...please...why!" She begins to step back quicker and quicker. Squall moves forward, matching her pace, and even going quicker. He pulls out his gunblade in front of him, clenching his teeth tightly, and lunges at her. All Rinoa can do is stand there as his blade comes at her._

Rinoa wakes up abruptly from her short slumber. She has gone from leaning against the rock to curled up next to it, shivering violently. She tries to sit up, but her hands and legs tremble. A few tears come down her cheek as she finally sits up fully. The area around her is very dark. At first she thinks it is just clouds, but as she turns she sees a large castle so close in front of her. It is the one from her dreams.

_"It's not about the end result, Sis. It's about the journey. If you get nothing out of the journey, then the result doesn't mean a damn thing. So enjoy the ride, and if you don't, then screw it."_

-Temoren


	11. Love Before Hope

_"I am Ultimecia.Time shall compress... ...All existence denied."_

-Ultimecia

**LOVE BEFORE HOPE**

Temoren moves towards Balamb Garden. He nearly drags his feet along as he reaches the entrance, exhausted from everything. And depressed from what had happened earlier. A guard watches him come in, not stopping him because he knows who it is. As Temoren makes it inside the Garden, he begins to notice people whispering and looking in his direction. Not just one or two, but everyone. How have they heard about the shooting already? Or the suspension, which wasn't a big deal anyways. Or perhaps something else has happened?

He looks like hell, and he eventually realizes it. Maybe that is why everyone is looking at him. He looks down at his pants, they have grass stains and tears in them in various places. His hair is shuffled in all various directions, his eyes bloodshot. But, why does he need to care about what he looks like? Today is a good day. Today is the day he will quit the SeeD for good. Then, he will go back to his room in Balamb, sit down with a drink, look out onto the harbor, and then eat his gun. What else was there to do? He doesn't know this 'Ultimecia'. He no longer cares either.

He turns to look at the other SeeD's nearby. They quickly look away whenever they see his gaze turn to them. He looks from side to side, slightly confused by this situation. He makes his way up to the main office, where the officers are. As he arrives, they all stop their conversation and look back at him. He stops and scratches his head a little, and then walks further into the room. Finally after more silence, one of the officers stands up and walks towards Temoren, he stops a few feet away.

"Temoren." He says, in a dead serious tone.

"Sir, I need---"

"I'm talking to you, son." The officers spits out, interrupting Temoren's resignation.

"What is it?" Temoren raises a brow.

"We've had a situation come up while you were gone." The officer says, almost hesitantly.

"A situation, huh?" Temoren begins to wonder what is worse than shooting your own sister, then quitting your job, and your life.

"A sorceress situation. We might have the 'one' on our hands."

Temoren's eyes open wider, all the thoughts of quitting escape his mind at this news. "Who!"

"We don't know. A castle has appeared...in the south."

"Are you sure?" The negative thoughts begin to return, though at lesser strength than before.

"Positive. This is not a drill."

"Oh, and all the others were just practice?" Temoren grinds his teeth a little.

The officer takes a few more steps forward, and gets right into Temoren's face. "I don't recall giving you permission to bitch." He says, flatly, looking right into Temoren's eyes.

"They are evil, and must be dealt with. To save the past."

His sister wasn't evil.

"Gear up...head out." The officer continues on, looking right into Temoren's eyes.

Temoren looks back coldly at the officer, with hatred and disgust, but the words slowly slip out of his mouth, still with purpose and confidence. "Yes, sir."

-------------------------

Gilmahn looks up at the huge doors in front of him. A large staircase leads all the way up to them, with huge pillars on both sides. The sky remained dark at all times, he no longer knows if it is even daytime anymore. He begins to go up the stairs one at a time. His steps seem loud since the general area near him is completely silent. Every once in a while he looks back and forth, surprised by the quiet himself. He pushes hard against the large doors, needing all the effort he has to start pushing it open. He walks carefully into the castle, taking a long look around at the entrance room. There are old fashioned chairs off to the side, and a fancy twirling staircase right in front of him. The entire room is lit by candlelight. He had never seen this castle before, and it already has an old and creepy atmosphere to it.

"I'm here for you Rinoa. To help you. You don't have to run away anymore." He says, his voice echoes around the empty chamber. He nods, acknowledging she doesn't seem to be in hearing distance.

Gilmahn begins to ascend the next stairway, using the thick wooden railings to help him up each step. He had walked the entire day to get here, and now all these stairs. He leaves the main room for one of the side ones. It is a smaller room, and he passes through that one quickly, opening a small door. He walks carefully into the next room, looking around. Then he peers down and jumps back a little, noticing there is a large clock on the floor, and more stairs to the side.

"This place is bizarre..."

After a few seconds he steps past the clock. The gloomy feel sends a shiver up his spine, and he shakes a little, clenching his cloak tighter. He moves through another door to yet another room with stairs. He admires the giant painted glass windows above him. It seems like forever before he makes it to what seems to be the bottom of a tower. Gilmahn looks up in amazement at the long spiraling stairs that go all the way up to...somewhere.

"Ultimecia, it doesn't have to be like this." He says, continuing to look up at the stairs. He begins to move up them, while still keep his gaze all the way up. Eventually he looks back down and begins to quicken his pace, his feet slamming hard against the wooden stairs. A loose stone comes down from higher up, and falls past him as he continues moving towards the top. He sees light coming from an opening, the moon. He walks through the opening outside to a balcony, high in the air. He looks to his left and jumps back a bit as he spots a large blue dragon, standing nearby on all four legs, its head close to the ground.

"Tiamat, my friend. What are you doing out like this?" Gilmahn says in a friendly and curious tone, he smiles a little. Though, instead of a nice reply, the dragon opens its mouth, revealing sharp teeth. It makes a low growl at him.

"My friend, what has happened to you? What's wrong?" He gets the same reply, except this time the growl is a bit louder. Tiamat slowly stands taller, and moves up onto two legs, looking down at the man in front of him.

"Always the loyal one. Though, I am not here to harm her. We should be allies still, should we not?" The dragon spreads its large wings out to both sides. He begins to flap them lightly and hovers only a foot or two off the ground. The moon shines brightly right behind the dragon. It seems to close to them.

"If this is how it must be, then so be it." Gilmahn slowly moves his hand to his scimitar, and pulls it out with enthusiasm, and rests it up on his shoulder, looking at the dragon. "Your move, dragon. I won't make the first move to back stab an ally." He says coldly.

Tiamat begins to move closer, still hovering near the ground. He spits out a small ball of fire at Gilmahn, he side steps out of the way, then jogs at the dragon, making a slash at its wing. Tiamat moves back, and then comes back forward, even more angry than before. It tramples over Gilmahn, knocking him onto the stone floor, and flies past him. Tiamat turns around and flies back down, grabbing Gilmahn in his mouth. It flies higher, heading towards a tower that was higher up than the other one.

Before making it the entire way, Tiamat drops Gilmahn from its mouth. Gilmahn falls a decent length through the air and hits hard against the ground of a long walkway leading to the next tower. He hits, and rolls over on his side, and stops moving.


	12. Broken Man

(Sorry for being late, holiday weekend, kind of. Also a bit late so proofreading is on a short, hopefully not too bad)_  
_

_"Love, friendship. I know these words. They are in slumber in my memory. Why awake them?"_

-Ultimecia

**BROKEN MAN**

Temoren and two SeeD's move through the grass, not talking to one another. The entire trip was almost silent. The occasional small talk, nothing more. It is obvious what their job is, and it leaves them silent, perhaps in seriousness, or worry, or both, and then some. They call it a "diplomatic mission". Kill the person they don't like, if that is what diplomacy is, Temoren thinks to himself. He had finally changed out of his torn, dirty and casual clothes and is wearing a full SeeD uniform, as are the other two.

Squall. He had just passed away. But now he is destined to come from the past and defeat Ultimecia, or so it is said. Then what exactly are they doing? None of them are Squall, are they destined to failure? Temoren continues to ponder. Perhaps they can stop it before it even starts? Yes, that's it. The past must be liberated. She must be stopped before it happens. This entire thing begins to give Temoren a headache, the constant cycling of events, or even trying to grasp time in logical terms.

They begin to see the highest tower of the castle as they make it out of a thick group of trees. Temoren walks a bit slower, looking up at it, the other two SeeD's come to a full stop. There it is, like a menace hovering in the sky. Right where it is supposed to be.

"It's right near the--"

"I know." Temoren interrupts the rest of the SeeD's comment. "Everything that has happened all leads to this. All the precautions have failed. I shall slay the witch when we get there."

"Sir, how are we going to do this?"

"The straight forward way." He begins to walk again, heading towards the large castle at the horizon.

The group of three begins to make small talk again, as the usually do when things get tense, when things came up they do not want to think about.

"How was Deling, sir? I haven't been there since I was little."

"The same as it's always been. A bit bigger. A bit louder. Not much other than that." He has to keep his composure, or else the others will get worried. He has a bad feeling in his stomach again.

"What about that girl, that sister of yours in town. She used to visit a lot."

Temoren flinches a little. What is he supposed to say? She is gone now. He is the reason for it. Perhaps she is taking vacation with their parents now? Will he be soon to join them?

"She's...fine."

For a moment, he hesitates. He can't stop thinking about his little sister now. Her appearance continues to flash in his eyes, but none of it is real. He can see her long blonde hair, the loose white robe she would always wear, with sleeves that got larger near her hands. Who was this witch? Who were any of them? The ones who gave the entire group such a bad name. His sister wasn't evil. She wasn't a tyrant. And she did not end up being the one who is this 'Ultimecia'. But who is? The castle is there. Who is inside? Who will he have to kill now? It can't be Rinoa, she was the one who helped defeat Ultimecia. It did not matter, the mystery will soon be solved.

----------------------------

Ultimecia sits silently in a dark, empty room. It has nothing but a large chair in the center, against the back wall. She stares blankly at the floor, not blinking even once, almost dazed. The room has almost no lighting at all. The chair stands completely in the dark, her gaze continuing into the darkness. She keeps looking closely at the ground. Visions come back at her through the darkness. Laguna, Adel, Esthar, Deling City. Even her dream from the other day. They all pass quickly in the dark, where the floor should be. She moves Squall's ring gently through her fingers at this happens.

The large double doors that lead to this room begin to creak open loudly, taking a lot of force from the one who opens them. At last, a large beam of moonlight blasts through the opening, which gets larger and larger as it opens, illuminating a much larger portion of the room. The footsteps are much more audible now that the doors are open. Ultimecia squints at the large amount of light coming in now. She can only see the outline of the figure, standing there, looking back at her. It is Squall. Her knight has returned.

Gilmahn stands in the doorway, looking into the darkness, a bit confused. After a long pause he begins to limp further into the room. His right knee, and entire leg for that matter look fairly unstable as he comes in, groaning a little.

"If I wait...will he come?" The voice comes out from the darkness.

Gilmahn acknowledges someone is inside, and turns. He begins to start closing the doors again until he realizes that would be pointless. He turns back around and gives a plain, blunt answer. "No."

The figure continues looking down at the floor, with a little more distress now than before.

"Was it something I said? No 'hello', or 'how are you?'" He says, as he begins to move around lighting small candles.

"He's mad at me. I saw it. Why is he mad? I need to go... find him... so I can tell him not to be mad. I just want to be with him again, and if that means going backwards, then fine!"

Gilmahn stops lighting the candles suddenly, and turns. "Those aren't very good thoughts."

Ultimecia turns from a blank gaze, to one of annoyance, probably due to her advisors responses.

"You know...I took you as a stronger person than this." He paces around, keeping his distance, while she grinds her teeth a little in anger.

"You've let, grief, paranoia, and hate...boil your mind, until..." He let's himself trail off before going on. "Until you became the thing you defeated. It must seem so long ago now."

"What would you know, you weren't even born when that happened." She snaps back at him quickly. Gilmahn just smirks back, with all the patience in the world.

"But you were. Oh yes, you were. Not only that, but you were here. In this very room. You remember all of it. It must be terrifying. Realizing what your fate is now. I understand. I wonder what will happen when the shock wears off? Maybe it's happening right now? When everything is said and done, all you can do is reflect on your childhood...your sensation...your words. Time, it will not wait. No matter how hard you hold on, it escapes you. And it will always be this way. Don't try and change this Ultimecia. It will lead to more pain." He says, in his usual calm, comforting tone. Gilmahn catches himself almost gazing off into nothingness as he makes a little speech to her.

"You're a fool." Is her short response to his well thought out commentary.

Gilmahn nods his head, slowly at first, but begins to quicken the nodding moment after moment. Then he stops, turning to the large throne in front of him. He begins to walk slowly towards Ultimecia, until he is only two feet from the sorceress. She silently watches his movements with cold eyes. He looks right up at her, no anger, no fear.

"You want to fall down and not get up again? You want to change time to bring what you 'think' will be happiness. You want to ignore lessons learned long ago? Alright.." He turns his head, looking away now, repeating again. "Alright. I won't stop you. I'll even go back to where I came from to make it easier for you. Even if you destroy your mind and your sanity, remember this. The more down this path you go, the farther away from Squall you feel---" It seems he is going to add more, but instead he abruptly turns and begins to walk to the door again.

Ultimecia watches him go, his right leg dragging a little behind his left. He pushes the doors open a little more and walks away. She blinks a few times. Why was she so mean to him? What was the doing? She even knew where he was going in their conversation the other day. He was going to say something else to her that day, and she knew what. And now her last friend is gone. The world is now in the realm of the surreal, and it will not go back.

She begins to become amazed. About how little she knows about him, despite knowing him for so long, and beings friends with him. It is almost frustrating to her, as she watches him walk away, like a broken man. Sometimes she had visions of peoples pasts, or even to be able to sense their emotions. But it never happened with him.

After the curiosity wears off, a small tear comes from her eyes, and falls to the floor, unhindered. Is he right? About everything? About nothing? If he was ... things needed to be set right.

For the first time in what seemed like forever, there is hope.


	13. Ever The Same

_"Just another stupid story by a boring adult. "_

-Squall

**EVER THE SAME**

_Gilmahn walked through the streets of Deling City. It was beginning to get late. The bright sun turned into just a sliver on the horizon. The street lights began to light up along the street. Dark figures scattered about going to various places. All of the emotion and work of the election was over, and they had won. His friend ran for president, him and some others aided him. The people clearly saw they were an intelligent group, and worked well together. The election was close, not close enough to be worried though._

_There was only one question left at this point. And that was, whether or not to go home and crash in his bed, or stop by one of the drink places open during the later evening. He decided to stop by and get a drink, he needed it. He worked nearly twenty hours straight the final night. He was young, and had aspirations of his own, of course. They talked about how Gilmahn would be a good successor for when his friend stepped down._

_The bar was well lit, with wooden walls, painted an interesting shade of blue. There were a few people at other seats, but none at the counter. Gilmahn pulled up a stool and looked at the bartender._

_"Anything I can get you?" He asked, with a smile._

_"Whatever you think is good, surprise me."_

_The bartender started to turn, but stopped suddenly. "You have a bad day?"_

_Gilmahn shook his head. "Not bad. But getting to the not bad status was a pain."_

_"Oh, I know those type of days. Ill put a little zip to your drink." He grinned and turned around again._

_"Go ahead, I don't mind." Gilmahn began to turn his attention away from the bar, and to the room around him. As he did so, another man entered the bar. He wore a long black coat, and had dark brown hair. He had a notebook with him. Gilmahn didn't seem to notice until the man sat down right next to him._

_"You mind?" The man asked, loosening his coat a little._

_"...No." Gilmahn nodded at the man, then looked away._

_He began to think about Ultimecia, not even paying attention to the newcomer. What would he do this time? What would his approach be? How could he help her?_

_"Oh. You're Gilmahn." The man said, taking a long look at Gilmahn. He was wearing his usual red cape. The bartender gave him his drink, then moved on to talk to other customers. Gilmahn finally looked over again, a bit uncomfortable due to the strangers presence._

_"Yeah?"_

_"One of the guys who won. I work for the newspaper. You mind answering a few questions?"_

_He had a long day, and now a reporter he didn't even know was bothering him. This wouldn't turn out good._

_"Fine...I guess." He said, with little enthusiasm._

_"What do you have to say to those who think you're only using your friends for political purposes?" The reporter asked, with a sly grin._

_Gilmahn grabbed on to his glass and began drinking it heavily, until it was only down to about 1/4 left. He then turned back to the man. "Excuse me?"_

_"Sorry, probably not a good starter. What do you think about people saying you are too young for this stuff?"_

_"Oh, for cr--" He quickly dumped the rest of his drink into his mouth, and got up from his seat. The reporter chuckled a little._

_"What's the matter, can't take a little heat? It comes with the job."_

_Gilmahn began to ignore him. Merely walking out of the small pub back onto the street. It was much darker out, the lights were the only light at all, even the moon was hidden behind the clouds. The man in the black coat followed Gilmahn out. He walked quickly behind him._

_Eventually the man stopped. "How about one more. What do you think about the SeeDs celebrating another dead sorceress, the one Temoren killed."_

_That got his attention. Gilmahn stopped on the sidewalk, and slowly turned around. "I think, it's a tragedy." The reporter nearly made a full gasp at this response. "The fact that a modern society like ours hunts all of them down just because of one is unfortunate." He turned and kept walking, leaving the reporter motionless, mouth wide open. Saying something like that was like shooting yourself in the foot, except a few feet higher._

_------_

_Gilmahn walked into the small building, fully refreshed from his slumber. The base of operations of him and his friends during the campaign and such. A few of his colleagues gave him dirty looks as he walked further inside, until one of them walked up to him, tapping him on the shoulder._

_"Gilmahn." He spun around quickly, to see who it was._

_"Yes?"_

_"The President needs to speak with you..." He looked at Gilmahn, a bit sadly._

_"Oh, alright. That's why I am here anyways." GIlmahn kept walking farther in until he reached a large wooden door, with a blurry window that can't be seen into. He knocked on the door lightly._

_"Come in." A voice called from inside. Gilmahn opened the door to see his friend, the new President. He wore a gray and black suit. His hair a similar color to Gilmahn's. "Oh...Gilmahn." He cleared his throat a little. Looking back at his friend with an expression of pain. "Bud...We live in strange times. Times where you can't say certain things when you're in positions like ours."_

_"Oh?" He asked back, questioningly._

_"Being supportive of Sorceresses' is one of them." He almost turned away, while Gilmahn looked at him straight in the eye. "And...I'm afraid we don't need you around here anymore."_

_Gilmahn chuckled a little. "Let's be serious now. What do you have for me to do today?" He smiled a little, but it slowly faded back to a frown as his friend continued to look back, unmoving. "You can't be serious."_

_"I am." He said back, bluntly._

_"I guess he put that quote in an article. Oh well. I am right though."_

_"Our job isn't to be right." His friend said again, bluntly, and without emotion._

_"Wow you are serious." He spat out, disgusted. Two other men from a small group of onlookers stepped into the room and grabbed him by each shoulder, and began to pull. "This is such a joke. I can't believe this." They continued to drag him back into the main room, towards the door, and forcefully down the steps onto the ground. "Absolutely ridiculous."_

_Gilmahn ended up back at the same pub. Hopefully that slime bucket would come back in, he thought to himself. He would be worth life in prison for. Or even an injection. But he never came. Gilmahn didn't mind either way. He drank much more than he had the night before. One, two, three, that was just a start._

_"Hey, we're closing up in a minute." The bartender said. Gilmahn was the last one left in the room._

_"Alright, bud. You take care now."_

_"I will. You don't need help getting home?"_

_"No, no...I'm fine." Gilmahn moved slowly out the door back onto the dark streets. He had been in there since early afternoon, and now it was dark. He looked up and down the street, both sides. He saw, and more apparent, he heard a small group of guys hanging around a street lamp a small distance from him. From the sound of it, they were drunk, but he wasn't too awake either. Unfortunately, he had to walk past them to get back home. He walked closer to the small group, and he began to get a bad feeling. Because they were wearing SeeD uniforms._

_What a bunch of pigs, he thought. What had become of the SeeDs? He walked closer and closer. He moved as far as possible as he could to one side of the sidewalk to hopefully avoid their attention. Of course, that was too much to ask for._

_"Heeeeey...You're that loser that was in the paper this morning. Badmouthing us huh?" One of the SeeDs stepped forward out of the group, getting right into Gilmahn's face._

_"Can I help you gentlemen?" He said back, calmly. The three SeeDs behind the first one began to slide out what looked like daggers. He couldn't tell very well in the dark though. Before anything else could happen, he pushed the front SeeD back hard, and he fell back against the light post, and onto the ground. The rest of the SeeDs become angry at this and began to give chase as Gilmahn ran quickly down the road. Perhaps they were too drunk, or surprised by his speed, but he began gaining distance from them easily._

_One of them kept giving chase though, as he quickly ran out of city bounds, into the wilderness. He started to slow down as he ran uphill, the rocks and dirt made it harder for him to run. The SeeD behind him began to gain again, his dagger still drawn. He began to breathe heavily. Finally, he fell onto the dirty ground, rolling down the hill, getting tears and holes in his cape. Eventually he came to a stop near the bottom, dirty, tired, and startled. He looked up, seeing the SeeD running at him still, at full speed, with the dagger._

_He began to hear a few footsteps from behind him. It was too dark, and he wasn't in a good position to turn around and look. Was it the other SeeD's? Was this the end of the line? The visible SeeD was only a few feet away before the other figures jump into view, block his path. But the drunken SeeD kept coming anyways, impaling himself against a sword that was help out. "Uuuugh..." He groaned, and fell back onto the ground, not moving._

_"Err..." The figure growled lowly. The two standing figures turned back and looked down at Gilmahn, still on the ground._

_"Wh...Who are you?" He asked, confused._

_"My name is Squall."_

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Notes: Took longer again for this chapter, sorry. I saw a mention in the reviews of going through the part where Squall and all them go to fight Ultimecia. I'm not sure if I will be doing that, don't think I will be able to make it anymore interesting than it already is, and we all (I think) know what happens, but I might add it on later, not sure yet. That being said, the conclusion of my not-in-FF8 plot will be the next chapter, so stay tuned sometime this week, hopefully soon.


	14. A Love Supreme

_"I won't have it! I won't have anyone speak of me in the past tense!"_

-Squall

**A LOVE SUPREME**

Temoren and the two SeeDs move up through the rocky path. The entire area is gloomy, the sky is cloudy. Thunder can be heard in the distance every half minute or so. A perfect reflection of everyones mood. Temoren wonders if the sorceress and her knight felt similarly as he does. It doesn't matter though, because they would both be dead soon anyways. He can't seem to get many things out of his mind. His sister, this new situation he is in, Squall, many things. He begins to feel very sick to his stomach.

"I need to sit down for a minute." Temoren finally says to the other two. They nod, not objecting at all. Temoren sits down on a nearby rock, taking out a lighter and lighting a cigarette. He did not smoke often, but sometimes he needed to. To calm his nerves a little. "You guys?" He holds out the lighter, but they shake their heads.

He slowly blows out a long line of smoke. The clouds are so dark, he thinks to himself. Rain might be moving in, or perhaps it might not be. A forever looming symbol of the witches presence? It all went well, they will be going away too then. Temoren finishes his first cigarette and reaches for another, stopping for a moment when he begins to hear footsteps. They all look up quickly, startled at the new presence coming towards them.

Higher up on the path, they begin to see a figure coming down at them. Temoren stands up, putting his hand firmly on his sword hilt. They continue to watch the figure come, and then it becomes clearer to them. The person is dressed completely in black, is medium height, and has a slight limp as they walk. Temoren slowly moves his hand down back to his side as the figure stops only a few feet from them.

"Oh, hello there." The man says, a hood covering most of his head.

"What are you doing here?" Temoren asks, still uncertain of this visitor.

"Just a traveler. I could ask the same of you, sir."

"We're on a job. I'd rather not have anyone get in our way."

"Get in your away?" The man chuckles a little. "I am not in your way am I? I figure I have the right to ask, since my home is near here."

"Is it now?"

"Yup." The man nods enthusiastically.

"There's a corrupt sorceress nearby, one that needs to be removed." He answers, stiffly.

"Oh...wow." The man says, almost surprised. "Mind if I sit and join you fellows? I see you have some smokes on you."

"Mh, fine, sit down. We won't be here long though." The man sits down, while Temoren tosses a cigarette and his lighter at his lap. He quickly clutches on to them, and then lights it, letting out puffs of smoke in a similar manner.

After a minute or so of silence, Temoren tries to make conversation. "Truth is actually, I've had a bad week all around." Which is an understatement.

"Really? Well I'll be damned. I am having a bad week too." The man says, in a friendly tone despite his comments content.

"Guess we all are..." Temoren adds softly. "Hopefully today will change my bad luck." Temoren begins to look more closely at the mans strange attire. Black, he thinks to himself, the color of mourning. But for who, or what?

"You ever think about cycles?" The hooded figure asks, with genuine curiosity.

"Yes, all the time." Temoren responds. He begins thinking about the subject again as it is brought up.

"A shame."

"Why a shame?" Temoren asks, confused.

"You think about it so much, yet you don't understand it."

"Excuse me?" Temoren asks, a bit angered by this statement.

The man chuckles a little more. "Don't worry about it. I can see you are all busy men. Perhaps I should leave you. But today, I don't feel like it. Do you mind if I tag along?"

"Are you serious? This is dangerous sir, nothing for a traveler to get involved with." Temoren says, firmly. The hooded man turns a bit, revealing a scimitar at his side, and then turns back. Temoren nearly smirks at this. The man knows how to travel, he thinks to himself. Perhaps a little back up couldn't hurt. "If that is really what you wish, then fine."

"That is what I wish, and thank you." The man stands. Temoren and the others follow by standing as well. They begin to walk back up the long rocky path. The walk seems like forever, but in reality it isn't too long. They continue on until they get to the point where the castle is close. Very close. They all recognize its presence, but try not to keep looking at it. This is what the entire world has been waiting for. It is time to liberate the past, and free the future.

The hooded man continues to hobble behind the others. At a certain point he stops, and leans up against a group of large rocks. The color of his robe makes it so that he nearly blends in entirely with the rocks. Temoren and the other SeeDs continue walking forward, not noticing their last member stopped walking with them. The rain had started minutes earlier. It comes down upon them, but they don't even seem to notice.

Ultimecia materializes in front of the SeeDs. Both sides seem to be equally surprised by the others presence. Temoren stops nearly mid-stride, completely paralyzed. Ultimecia's eyes open wide, and she backs up a few steps from them, confused. It's Rinoa, Temoren thinks to himself. She looks so different now. He had seen her a few times before, but she was barely recognizable now. But wasn't she the one who helped defeat Ultimecia? How is this possible? It did not matter any longer. No more questions, no more guesses, no more chances.

Temoren noticed a certain sparkle in her eyes. The look of kindness. But sorceresses are the masters of deceit. She has to be defeated, he thinks to himself.

"Are you going to kill me?" She asks, with a worried tone.

"I do what I must." Temoren places his hand to his sword. He speaks with a tone of confidence, but with also a hint of remorse.

Before any more words can be spoken, Temoren draws his blade fully, and charges at Ultimecia with amazing speed and passion, prepared to make a direct strike at her. Just as he reaches her, he gets the feeling that he just ran into a wall, and falls back onto the ground, nearly into a puddle of water. He stopped with such force that his teeth dug into his lip and mouth, blood runs out of his mouth onto the ground, and it gets carried away by the rain, making a stream of red. He shakes his head quickly, trying to re-orient himself. He also has a small gash on his head.

He slowly looks up at the sorceress, beginning to regain his clear vision. The sparkle in her eyes goes away, as if a realization had finally been made. She sends a fireball in one direction, and a lightning strike in the other, both SeeDs fall back in a similar manner.

"Like parasites, crawling through the dirt. Waiting for the next passer by to latch on to. That is, until they happen to get in the path of someones footsteps. Those footsteps are mine. The SeeDs will fall."

Temoren winces hard, the blood still pouring out of his mouth. "Not yet." He says coldly.

"Confidence. Such a useful thing to rally those around you. Unfortunately you no longer have any, SeeD. So I think begging for your life would be a better choice here." Ultimecia looks down at him, her bright green eyes seem to pierce into his soul.

Temoren begins to crawl through the muddy ground, until he reaches some large rocks. He turns himself so his back rests against them. His trembling arm goes for his gun, and he holds it out and points it at her. He pulls the trigger with little hesitation. The bullet goes through the air, but gets absorbed by a large blue aura that surrounds the sorceress. He lowers his arm down and fires again, the gun gives off a large puff of smoke, and the bullet hits the shield, falling onto the ground also. He fires another bullet.

And another.

And another.

And another.

_Click._

He stops, looking at the empty gun in a bit of disbelief.

"You kan feel them, can't you? Your victims. I won't be the one to kill you. It shall be the rage of all them. All the ones who you murdered."

Temoren finally understands it all. They had spent all this time searching and waiting for Ultimecia, but no searching was needed. The President of Galbadia is Ultimecia. The Garden is Ultimecia. He is Ultimecia. What other choice did she have? They are the monsters. They created this. There is so much he wants to say to her, but the words won't come out. He merely pulls the gun up one last time, and pulls the trigger.

_Click._

Temoren begins to get lifted off the ground by some unseen force. He hovers about the ground, he is too exhausted to even try and resist. An invisible explosion goes off right next to him, and he flies through the air, hitting the rocky ground with alarming force. His clothes get torn up as he rolls through the pebbles and dirt. He rolls to the edge of a large drop off, he starts to go over, reaching his hand up to hold on, but his fingers slip through the wet, slippery rocks, and he falls.

Ultimecia's satisfied gaze turns to the figure that blends in with the rocks. He steps out from them, making himself perfectly visible. They take a solid look at eachother. Suddenly, the black robed figures dissapears. Ultimecia snarls softly, and turns around, teleporting back into her castle.

How much time passed? That is uncertain. Ultimecia herself probably doesn't even know. The present passes, slowly slipping away into history. Her castle outlines the horizon as the moon shines brightly behind it. Three figures move through the night, through the darkness. They all stop looking up at the castle, their final destination. The first one puts his hand firmly on his gunblade, looking upwards. The next holds out a pistol, adjusting his cowboy hat. The third follows behind the first two, her long raven black hair gives way to the strong wind.

In another time, another place, Rinoa and Squall will complete their loving embrace.

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NOTES:

Ok, I lied slightly, there will be one more chapter that is epilogue-ish. It might answer some things I left unanswered, or it might make them a bit more of a mystery ;) Overall I think I accomplished what I said I would in the disclaimer at the very beginning, and I hope you think I did as well. Kind of did this last minute tonight, so I hope the lack of extensive proofreading won't hurt.


	15. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

_In the 'future' (?)_

Gilmahn hobbles along the dirt path. Tiamat had his way with him again earlier that day. He swore that one of these times he would show that dragon a thing or two. But it doesn't matter now, things were finally set. After all this guess and check. After all this time and anguish. He drags his leg along, it rubs hard against the dirt and rocks. He walks up to a spot where the road turns a bit. He decides this is the best place to execute his plan.

After thinking this all through, he decides that all of his plotting and conspiring will finally pay off. Knowledge is power, and after going through this so many times, he finally has all the knowledge he needs. He tried many times before. Being logical and diplomatic, all the time. This is not a logical situation. Reasoning can only go so far. This is the realm of the surreal. The only question that remains is what his fate will be in all of this. A hero that will never go in the history books, a thinker that will never be credited.

Yes, logic and reasoning. He has those parts already in place, now insanity shall kick into motion. Once that happens, all will be complete. Everything was in place, just like it was last time. He befriended Squall and Rinoa, Squall passed away. they went to the old ladies house, Rinoa ran off, they argued, she ran off again, the castle was in place, he went to speak with her again, he left, but this time, he will return. Yes, it is time to let off his bad side. Who wouldn't be a little crazy after being stuck in a time cycle for so long?

Gilmahn waits quietly as he begins to hear loud footsteps coming up the path. Three pairs of footsteps, that is. Temoren and two SeeDs emerge from around the corner, walking as if they are going to their death. Gilmahn crouches a little, waiting quietly as they come. Temoren steps only a couple feet from him, but doesn't look backwards to notice him. At the right moment, Gilmahn leaps out from behind the rock, slashing at the first SeeD. He falls, not even knowing what hit him. He turns and jumps with fury at the next SeeD, enduring the pain of his leg. He thrusts down at the second SeeD, slaying his next target as well.

Temoren pulls out his gun, still barely registering what is happening. He aims the gun at Gilmahn, who has his back completely turned away. Temoren fires the gun at point blank range. The bullet tears through Gilmahn's back, and goes out the front. He falls forward, almost onto the ground. Temoren relaxes a bit, thinking Gilmahn is down for good, though this is a mistake. Gilmahn turns quickly, swinging his scimitar wildly, the gun falls out of Temoren's hand and he begins to back up, tripping and falling onto his back. Gilmahn stands back up, despite his ailments, and walks quickly over to Temoren, who tries going for his sword next, but isn't quick enough. Gilmahn thrusts down again, killing the assassin on impact.

Gilmahn breathes heavily, clasping his chest, feeling the hole. He stumbles up to a rock, using it to hold himself up. The adrenaline begins to wear off, and the pain starts setting in. From both his leg and his back. He jumped and ran despite the injury. He continues to walk weakly, using the wall of rocks to his side to help him. This time, this time will be different. Rinoa will come out, and this time instead of Temoren and company, it will be him. He took the lighter out of Temoren's pocket and lit all three bodies. They will never find them. And considering the attitude he left the Garden with, they will think he deserted. It all works so perfectly.

He continues moving, step by step towards the castle. Rinoa appears in front of him, right on schedule. She doesn't look angry or unstable like before. She just looks like she did what seems like years ago, though it hadn't been that long. The rain starts to fall slowly onto them. She looks back at him with a worried look.

"I'm sorry...please..."

Gilmahn waves his hand, "No, don't apologize. Things will be alright."

Rinoa looks down a bit. "You're hurt." She looks back up into his eyes.

"No, I...I just got the air knocked out of me..." Gilmahn responds back, no longer with any energy.

"I don't believe you."

Gilmahn chuckles a little. "This is how it's supposed to be, though." He goes from leaning on the rock, to on his knees. Rinoa quickly moves up to him. He coughs up a small amount of blood, but continues talking anyways. "You must...accept your fate, but not...the grief and hate. You must endure it. The world will try to destroy you...but it doesn't matter. Show them Ultimecia has come, and things will be alright."

He coughs up a little more blood. "That...That, is how the world will heal." His hand starts to shake more and more violently, he looks down noticing it. "The cycle...is broken? I have not left this time?"

"Shh...Don't talk anymore. I can try to help."

Gilmahn swallows hard, completely unsure of everything. This is one situation he hasn't gone through before yet. Rinoa leans in closer one more time, "We'll figure something out."


End file.
